So Let the Rain Fall
by Luna Maria Boulevardes
Summary: Oneshot. She woud later reflect that it was no coincidence that the night she finally ran away, it was raining, and the Water Tribe boy found her and held out his hand itself of chasing her away.


_So Let the Rain Fall_

_By L. M. Boulevardes

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She is standing in the middle of a field, letting the rain fall down and hit her. It washes her near naked body, soiled with blood and bruises. It feels like the whole world should've ended. She just defied her father for the first time in her life; it took her fifteen years. She still can't believe it. She wonders if this is how her brother feels, just so – _free. _She feels completely ready to take on whatever comes her way. She startles herself when she laughs, and darkly thinks she hasn't heard herself laugh, _really laugh_, not cackle, in seven years.

She doesn't want this night to end. Tonight is for her. For the first time in her life, she isn't listening to someone. It's such a relief, really. Up until now she has always been doing what other people wanted; her father, her people. This is the first time she has had things her way. The first time she had the strength to tell him no when he came into her room. She knows she will pay dearly for such an infraction, but she can't bother herself with that now.

Tonight is hers.

She thinks about the night. They had stopped near Fire Nation territory, and her father had wanted to see her. He was already drunk when he came to her rooms and began taking off her clothes. In that moment, in the darkness, something broke in her. She couldn't hide the scream inside anymore, she couldn't hold back. _She would not be his whore. _

He was her father.

He was supposed to protect her.

He never did.

So in her fury, in her righteous fury, she began to protest. She kicked and screamed as he torn her clothes off, and begged him to let her go. He laughed and that made her so angry. She embraced the anger. She would not be cold. She would not be an emotionless pillar anymore. He howled when she burnt him, flames a brilliant white. She did not wait before she ran away, nearly naked though she was. She ran off the ship and into the darkness, tearing through the city with her heart beating wildly. She tore down her hair, throwing her hair piece into a gutter so that no one would recognize her.

She ran through allies, terrified of being followed, of being caught. In that moment, she knew that she couldn't go back, that she couldn't do it again. Her feet turned black with dirt, streaked with pink and brown and red from her blood. The men she passed watched her with greedy eyes, and in terror she ran all the faster. Something or someone tore at her red slip but she ran. The rain fell as she approached the outskirts of the city and she fled to the woods.

In the woods she wandered aimlessly, cold and hungry and frightened beyond her wildest dreams. Never had she dreamed of such a fall from power. She finally collapsed under a tree, crying and panting and terrified. She was nearly naked, she was wet and she was cold. She hated those things. She tried to warm herself up, breathing fire and smoke. It helped a little. She didn't dare try and start a wood fire, scared that it would give her away.

She sat by the tree, contemplating her life and what had happened in it. She wanted to feel clean for once. So she walked bravely into the middle of a field, letting the mud squish under her toes deliciously. Her hair was plastered to her head, and she was shivering. Yet she lifted her face to the sky, closed her eyes and let it wash her. She raised her arms to embrace the rain, letting it cleanse her of all this.

_So let the rain fall, _she thinks, _this I can handle.

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_

Sokka frowns. The rain is falling hard, thunder and lightening battling over his head. He is tired; he wishes he could sleep, but so it seems he can't. So he wanders around, not sure where he's going or what he's looking for. Tomorrow will be hard when he has to join the others to keep helping the Avatar. Sokka would actually rather go home, or be looking for his father, who he misses dearly. When Sokka agrees to help Aang everyday, the little voice inside his head reminds him he is a liar.

He wanders through the forest, listening to the rain beating over head. _Ka-trump, ka-trump, ka-trump _it goes, beating with his heart. His blood pierces his veins like the rain pierces the air. He moves stealthily through the wood, his breathing the loudest sound. It surprises him when he suddenly realizes his breathing _is not the only breathing. _He stops, boomerang brandished. He will fight anyone who tries to hurt him.

Sokka edges towards the field, and nearly falls over himself when he sees Azula. She is wearing rags. Her armor is gone, her red dress torn down the middle to her waist. Her hair is down, her golden eyes are clouded over. She is beautiful. She closes her eyes, lifting her arms and letting the rain fall over her. He doesn't think this is right; she'll catch her death.

"Are you alright?" those are the words he speaks, but he is really questioning her sanity. Her eyes spring open, and her hair whips her face as her head swings wildly around to face him. She blinks.

"What?" okay, it's probably not the most intelligent thing Azula could have said, but she's still sort of out of it. She recognizes the boy who travels with the Avatar, and wonders why he's hear. She eyes the weapon in his hand; is he going to _kill _her? Oh Agni would that be ironic. . .

"Are you okay?" he says again, cowering in the forest. She shrugs.

"I ran away," and only when she says these words does the full magnitude of them hit her. She's run away from her. She tried to kill her father. She can't go back. Not that she wanted to go back to _him, _but still. . .Ty Lee or Mai can't afford to take her in now. There's probably a dead or alive bounty on her head by now.

"Oh," he's confused. But she's shivering, and she looks so pathetic just standing there. "Are you sure?" he's having a difficult time with this. Zuko's words are haunting him – _Azula always lies. _But she just looks so pitiful. He can't help but think that something happened to her. He can't make himself believe that she's going to kill him – wouldn't she have done that by now if that was her intention? She quivers; he makes his decision. "Come on,"

"What?" it seems to be her word tonight. Azula watches stupidly as he approaches her. She'd fight, but she's so tired anyway. He comes over, and he picks her up, cradling her bridle style. She sighs, resting her head on his chest. Darkness is closing in around her, but she doesn't mind. His arms are strong around her. She allows herself to fall asleep.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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